Twelve Ways to Wear a White Button Down Shirt

Friends, I am starting this post by telling you that I have been up since 4 am.  It's a rough way to start the day and it's times like these that I appreciate the value of good fashion basics.  When I got dressed in the dark in a bleary-eyed stupor this morning, I grabbed the easiest thing I could imagine - a white button down shirt.  I wore mine with my comfiest pair of jeans today but the best part about a great basic is that you can style it a million different ways.  You can be the epitome of sophistication like Carolina Herrera or go festival chic like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

I love a white shirt that's just a little roomy for that "I just borrowed this from my boyfriend/husband" feel and I'm going to let you in on a secret.  My go to spots for fantastic affordable button downs, white and otherwise, are the men's departments at H&M and Zara.  Not everyone has an H&M in their city but Zara is online, so start shopping!

Showing a million ways to wear a white shirt would make for a rather long post, so I thought I would whittle the looks down to twelve.  I hope you enjoy them!

Style Breakdown + Image Credits:

1. Rumpled white + snakeskin print pant, layered bracelets - Crush Cul De Sac

2. White (a bit unbuttoned) + skinny jeans, ankle boots, shopper and floppy fedora - Miranda Kerr

3. White + full skirt, flat sandal and oversized sunglasses and (adorable) dachshund - Ashley Olsen

4. Whiteout + pointy black heels - Karolina Kurkova

5. White + pink short, nude heels and gold jewelry - I'm Fancy via Style Spot

6. White silk + black pencil and open-toed heels - Carine Roitfeld

7. White + off-white pant suit, open-toed ankle bootie and red lip - Leelee Sobieski

8. Tailored white + ball skirt - Carolina Herrera (the patron saint of the white shirt!)

9. White + bright skirt and nude shoes - Who What Wear

10. Untucked white + statement necklace, black short, metallic flat and Birkin - Olivia Palermo

11. White over bikini + frayed denim short, ankle boot, long necklace and black sunglasses - Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

12. Easy white shirt, half-tucked dressed down with your most casual jeans